Kogi APC Crisis: Stakeholders urge Tinubu to back neutral candidate for senate ticket

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA — Concerned stakeholders from across the seven local government areas of Kogi West Senatorial District have called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to intervene in the lingering crisis over the party’s senatorial primary election in the district.

The stakeholders warned that the dispute, if unresolved, could deepen internal divisions and weaken the party’s chances ahead of the 2027 general elections.

A grassroots pro-democracy group, Eagle Watch and Project Accountability Initiative, made the appeal in a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Danasabe Muhammed, and Secretary, Barr. Abdulateef Kareem, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

The group urged the APC leadership to set aside both leading aspirants, Senator Sunday Steve Karimi and Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro, and instead consider a neutral consensus candidate.

It specifically proposed Dr. Ibrahim Tajudeen Bisimillahi from Yagba East Local Government Area as a unifying figure capable of bridging factional divisions.

According to the group, the crisis stems from a disputed primary election in which both Karimi and Aro were separately declared winners, resulting in parallel claims to the party ticket.

It alleged that the disagreement was fuelled by tensions between political blocs aligned with former Governor Yahaya Bello and incumbent Governor Ahmed Ododo on one side, and supporters of Hon. James Faleke on the other.

The group claimed that Senator Karimi was reportedly backed by a “Presidential Unity List” associated with Faleke, a move that generated resistance from rival factions within the party structure in the state.

It further said the disagreement led to support for Hon. Aro from the opposing camp shortly before the primary election, deepening the rift.

The stakeholders warned that allowing either of the two leading aspirants to proceed could further polarise the party in the senatorial district.

“For APC to approach the general elections as one united family, a neutral and acceptable candidate must emerge — someone trusted and respected by all camps,” the group said.

They argued that Dr. Bisimillahi’s emergence would restore balance based on zoning considerations, noting that while other local government areas in Kogi West had produced senators in the past, Yagba East had not.

The group also described Bisimillahi as politically acceptable across factions, citing his alleged cordial relations with both major political blocs in the state.

It added that his family and grassroots connections, as well as his humanitarian engagements, positioned him as a unifying candidate capable of calming tensions within the party.

According to the stakeholders, adopting a consensus candidate would not only ease political tension in Kogi West but also improve APC’s electoral prospects in the 2027 general elections.

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